NOW on the News with Maria Hinojosa

Angela Davis on Race in America

This week, Maria Hinojosa speaks with longtime activist Angela Davis on Race in America, Presidential Candidate Sen. Barack Obama, and the growing movement against the war in Iraq. Davis, who was once on the FBI's 'most wanted' list, tells us why she thinks young people today need to take more risks.

Interview Excerpts

"I can't support the development of a new draft but I support the sentiment behind this call for a draft, which is that people from poor communities and communities of color should not be the ones to do the dirty work for the U.S. government."

"I think that it's an absurd issue. It is not about whether he [Sen. Barack Obama] is black enough, it's about his politics."

"So many people assumed that basically we had found our savior [in President Clinton] and the political pressure was then reduced, it was lessened."

"Regardless of what people are involved in, they should link up with the anti-war movement."

"It seems to me that the midterm elections provided a lot of hope for a lot of people."

About Angela Davis

Angela Davis has taught at a number of universities including UCLA, Vassar, the Claremont Colleges, and Stanford University. She is currently a Professor of History of Consciousness at the University of California Santa Cruz. She is also the Chair of African American and Feminist studies at the University.

In 1969 Davis came to national attention after being removed from her teaching position at UCLA as a result of her social activism and her membership in the Communist Party. In 1970 she was placed on the FBI's 'Ten Most Wanted List' on false charges, and was the subject of an intense police search that drove her underground. During her subsequent 16 month incarceration, a massive international 'Free Angela Davis' campaign was organized, leading to her acquittal in 1972.

Angela Davis is the author of eight books. Her most recent books are "Abolition Democracy" and "Are Prisons Obsolete?" In recent years a persistent theme of her work has been the range of social problems associated with incarceration and the generalized criminalization of those communities that are most affected by poverty and racial discrimination.